KUCHING: A female police officer escaped unharmed after she was attacked by a man armed with a cleaver while on duty at the Kuching Waterfront during the Sarawak Regatta 2025 last Sunday (Nov 2).
Kuching district police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the suspect had swung the knife towards the officer, an Inspector, causing a small tear to her uniform sleeve but fortunately did not injure her.
“The incident occurred when police were conducting a crime prevention patrol around the Waterfront area.
“The suspect suddenly attacked the victim using a meat-cutting knife,” he said in a statement.
Following the incident, a 36-year-old man was brought before the Sessions Court here on Monday (Nov 3), where he was sentenced to five years in prison and two strokes of the cane for possessing two knives in a public place and attacking the female police officer.
The accused, identified as Boye Ramly, pleaded guilty before Judge Noorhisham Mohd Jaafar to a charge under Section 6(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, which carries a jail term of between five and 10 years and whipping upon conviction.
Noorhisham ordered the sentence to take effect from Nov 2, the date of his arrest.
Boye also pleaded guilty to another charge before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan under Section 324 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 511 of the same Code, for attempting to injure the police inspector with a cleaver. He was sentenced to 36 months in jail, to run concurrently.
The incident took place at 9.20 am on Nov 2 at a Borneo handicraft exhibition stall at the Kuching Waterfront.
Based on the facts of the case, the complainant and her colleague were patrolling the handicraft stalls when they saw a RELA member warning the accused not to enter a stall that had yet to open.
Moments later, the accused suddenly drew a meat cleaver and swung it toward the complainant.
Her colleague managed to pull her back in time, but the blade tore the left side of her uniform.
Police later arrested the accused and seized two knives, including a vegetable knife from him.
